


A secret long forgotten

by Metakit



Category: Puyo Puyo
Genre: Friendship, Protection, Sealing, i feel like tags are going to spoil, uhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 11:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12681108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metakit/pseuds/Metakit
Summary: Heavy is the burden on Amitie's shoulders, one that only keeps growing year after year.A seal of which she is the sole key. Behind the barrier, a friend dear to her heart.Many desire Sig's freedom, but not in his sake-- to further their own purpose.What will she do when she is no longer able to keep up?





	A secret long forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> I suggest that you read the light novel Sig's Secret before reading this work, as it was partly inspired by a particular event that happens in its later chapters. If not, understand that you might not get the full scale of certain references.
> 
> This is a rather big writing project I've started tackling, bits by bits.
> 
> Hope that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it~!

Today marked the fifth 'anniversary' of Sig's sealing by her own hands. If you could call something like this an anniversary, that is.

Amitie promised, those five years ago, to visit his soul regularly at the sealing site, where his body also laid dormant. A site that changed constantly, every so often, to prevent a few unwanted guests from tampering with him. Those rare undesired visits often brought a whole lot of trouble to the young lady, who had no other option than to deal with them if she wanted to keep Sig safe. She had to fight strong magicians who desired his power, some even beyond her current skill level. At times prompted to run away, others having no choice but to fight with all of her strength. Situations which had gotten her hurt more times than she could count. It was a burden that she had taken by choice, wishing to save her friend from a fate as terrible as death. Oh, it wasn't that he had been on the verge of death. In fact, Sig had been in great shape all these years, thanks to his strong immune system and his constant bug-seeking adventures, which had kept him in good health. A future much more somber awaited him, had he not been sealed away that day. One that could've never been reversed, not even with the strongest magic in the universe.

Five years ago from the current day, something peculiar had happened in Sig's life. Not the first time as well, as it was an event that had echoed others from an even further past. A morning like any other, he had been heading towards the spot where he and Amitie usually joined up to walk together towards their school. They had long graduated Ms.Accord's class, now being on the path to learn more advanced and specialized magic, in relation to what kind of magician they wanted to be in the future. Yet, it was a habit they hadn't dropped, enjoying each others company on the way to school. Smiling brightly, Sig's spacey self chasing after bugs, the bright and cheerful Amitie having to drag him away...

Good memories.

But as great as they were, they didn't shine over the one bad memory from that day.

Throughout this fateful day, something about Sig was off or so Amitie felt that there was something wrong. Even when others couldn't quite tell how Sig felt, somehow, she could understand. They had known each others for a long time too, so she had picked up some of his emotional cues, though not as obvious as the general populace, they were still quite helpful in determining how he felt.

 

"Hey, Sig...Is everything okay?"

She wasn't alone asking, having classmates inquire similar questions to the bug boy. In response, it was usually a slight nod of the head from his part. When Sig did speak, he answered with a soft "Yeah". As the day went on, her worries had calmed down a bit after seeing that he was had been telling everyone that he was fine. Yet, Amitie couldn't help but hold a bit of concern for him, even if he insisted otherwise. Was she being ridiculous? Overbearing? Overprotective? Maybe it was just her imagination and he really was fine... Yeah, it must've been it!

During the afternoon portion of the class, Amitie really couldn't focus on what the teacher was saying, often zoning out into her thoughts. Sometimes, she stared directly at Sig, who himself wasn't paying any attention to the current lesson at hand.

"Aww, Sig! You really never change, do you..." she thought, noticing that he had fallen asleep, his eyes wide open. A weird trait that he had carried through his entire life. She had seen him sleep this way often enough to tell between regular spacing out and slumber. Hours passed, class was finally over. It had somehow felt like only minutes, probably because she had been thinking about Sig all this time. Sig, on the other hand, had attempted to snap her out of her thoughts, to no avail, prompting him to head out of the room and towards his locker. About two minutes later, Amitie realized that Sig was no longer in here and that class had been over for a few minutes, already. Had she been focusing so hard that he'd left an imprint in her mind? Oh no!

Sig was fine, he probably just went home early right? It must've been it!

It must've been it... or not.

Her earlier suspicions had been right, after all.

Only a glimpse of Sig was seen as school was dismissed, Amitie not getting a single chance to exchange a word or two with him. From afar, she could feel that something was wrong. That he was scared-- that something bigger was going to crush him. It wasn't nuisance puyo, but it felt as terrifying as receiving boards worth of it. What was it that made him so afraid? Sig turned around and Amitie suddenly understood what the problem was. Both his eyes were red, but it wasn't the only thing that was different about him. The tip of his right arm's fingers were red as well. But before she could get any closer, Sig had seemingly vanished from the scene, leaving her with the worst worries she had felt in her entire life.

Amitie recalled a precise moment from a few years, where something similar had happened. Sig had a tendency to isolate himself away when things went wrong and this was just like it. Just like that time, she was going to attempt to find him for answers and maybe Lemres would have made it there first? Would he be able to help out like last time? Would she have to do everything by herself? Was Sig at risk of losing himself? A new grasp on his dangerous powers? Many questions bumped in her head, the sheer amount of varying information making her feel a bit dizzy and confused.

"Aaah! This is too much... I-I'll figure something out when I get there!"

Where would he be this time? The old ruins from before was the first place she thought of checking, thinking he might've gone there first. It was the most likely, considering the uncanny ressemblance with that event from the past. Hopefully, no one would get in her way and once she was there, no puzzle would block her from progressing. Clearing them only once was enough, in her opinion. Amitie might've been stronger but she was on her own, Arle and Ringo not present to give a hand this time around. If it was anything like last time, she'd need to hurry up and find Sig as fast as she possibly could.

Wait! She didn't have that potion from last time! Oh nooo... What could she do? There was no time to go and get something like that!

Her mind might've been arguing on what to do, but her body had already agreed on keeping the pace. She was still running towards the ruins, as fast as she could without tiring herself out. It wasn't much more far, in any case. A few minutes later, Amitie stood in front of the gate, panting heavily. No tiring herself out, huh? No amount of exhaustion was going to keep her from moving on, stepping inside the ruins. Ah, was she thankful that she hadn't encountered anyone on her way there!

"Who..."

A voice echoed against the ruin's walls. Amitie couldn't identify where the voice was coming from, nor whose voice it was. It definitely wasn't Sig's, being much deeper and rough than his own softer, monotonous way of speaking. As she observed her surroundings, the walls seemed to close in on her.

Get really real! This wasn't part of the deal last time! Why did it have to be that way this time?!

"Come onnnnnnnnnnnn! Walls, stop it!"

Despite her plea, the walls kept inching closer towards her. The magician girl's only option now was to make a run for it, hopefully crossing the room in time.

It felt that the closer she was getting to the other door, the faster the walls were coming her way.

"Pleaaaase!"

Enhancing her step with magic, Amitie physically launched herself forward with a jump, sliding across the floor of the other room. A few scratches here and there, but she was mostly unscathed and thankfully-- the walls hadn't made mush out of her. Standing up, she took a moment to catch her breath, looking ahead, a hand supporting her weight against a nearby pillar. At the top of her lungs, she yelled:

''SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG! If you're in there! Answer me!''  


Echo. Then silence. There was no answer.

Ah, right. At times like this, he'd avoid answering, wouldn't he?

Amitie delved deeper into the ruins, eventually reaching the room where that past memory had happened. Yet, it was different this time!

Lemres wasn't there and neither was Sig! It was only her, standing in a deserted room, staring at the wall in front of herself.

All of this had been nothing but a waste of time, not to mention she had almost been crushed to death!

Kicking a few rocks around, Amitie pulled on the droopy sides of her hat with her hands, trying to think. In honest truth, she had no clue where he could be, this case seemed to be much worse than before. Had he just literally vanished from existence? Was he maybe out there looking for bugs? The forest was so big, though...

She was about to leave, when the room suddenly darkened, the floor opening itself under her feet.  
However, instead of brutally falling, it was as if she was floating downwards gently.  
Holding into her staff tightly, Amitie looked below, only to see a seemingly neverending darkness.  
Wherever she was being brought, she didn't like it one bit.  
After what felt like hours of falling, Amitie finally spotted something amongst the darkness-- a dab of cyan....!

That had to be Sig! Right?

''Sig? Sig! Is that you?''

No answer. Could he even hear her? She was still a little bit higher up, after all. Amitie shook her legs rapidly, in an attempt to descend faster, though it had no real effect. Waiting to reach his ground level or at least, what ground there was in this engulfing darkness, she couldn't help but worry. A closer look revealed that both his arms were red, now. At least, what she could see of them. Squint. His sleeves were partially ripped, as if they had been clawed at. ''Oh Sig... I hope this isn't anything bad...!'' she muttered to herself, a hand letting go of her staff to cover her mouth.

Finally, she was touching the 'ground', standing about two feet away from Sig.

''It's me, Amitie... Your buddy! Hey... Sig?''

He still let no words escape his mouth. He looked completely spaced out, staring in the eternal abyss of the darkness surrounding them. No matter how many times she called his name, shook him or made loud noises, nothing changed. Tears formed on the sides of her eyes, as she took steps backwards, facing him.

What she had feared all along was becoming a reality in front of her very eyes.

''L-Let's go home, okay? Y-You don't have to say a word j-just...''

It was hard to speak, especially when every word left him completely unaffected. Truth is, Amitie was really afraid of the situation at hand. Sig was being weird, it was almost like he was already gone. She didn't want to think about that, still hoping she wasn't too late. What would she do then? What would she tell everyone?

''J-just...grab my hand and I-I--''

  
''Leave.''  
  


The boy finally spoke up, still as expressionless as before, not budging a single inch from his spot.

''H-huh, what do you mean?

She wiped her tears against the sleeve of her dress, trying to compose herself. Was it a strange way of saying he wanted to leave this place?

''I-It's o-okay Sig, we're l-leaving soon! Here...''

A hand was extended towards Sig, as Amitie gave him a warm smile, although parts of her expression indicated a bitter sadness. A smile hidden behind furrowed brows and pained, closed eyes. She had grown older and stronger, but her heart was still soft and gentle. Approaching Sig with slow steps, she felt herself shake a little. It was the same, strange feeling from earlier, when she had seen him at his locker. At first, Sig also came closer, extending his right arm towards her. It grabbed onto the offered hand, reassuring Amitie a whole lot, if only for a few seconds. Pulling with one arm and lunging at her right side with the other, he ripped the fabric of her dress, lightly wounding her in the process. He looked at her dead in the eyes, his own flashing a bright red. Sig seemed to flinch, harshly taking his arm back to the side of his own body. There was still no expression to be found on his face, yet Amitie could feel that he regretted his current act of violence. She let go of his hand, using that hand to feel the wound he had inflicted on her. It wasn't as deep as she initially thought, meaning that he had held back! Sig was still in there, somewhere! She was certain of it... or she would've been probably dead by now!

Bringing him home, heh. It was a dumb thought, now that she thought about it. How were they even supposed to leave this place? Where were they, anyways?

Before she could think up answers to her questions, Amitie could feel that Sig had brought up a Puyo board, prompting her to do the same.

He wanted a fight? Ah, now it was starting to ressemble that time! Not that it was a good thing, in any case.

If this is all she could do at the moment, she was going to give it her best! Still, she wasn't the only one that had gotten stronger over time. Plus, it wasn't exactly Sig, too. What kind of power he possessed right now, Amitie was completely unaware of. If it was anything like before, efforts would need to be doubled.

Rows of puyos were placed on both sides, stacking, intertwining, much more complex than it would seem at first glance. Ohhh, it was going to be a powerful chain, she could feel it! One final puyo was dropped, starting the chain. As the puyos popped, Amitie started casting her spells...

''Flame!''

''Cele...Ru...bor Vini!''

...But 'Sig' was already a few steps ahead. What mattered the most is that her current chain setup was big enough to outdo him or she'd easily get overpowered.

''Cyclowhirl, Aktina! Fairy Fair!''

''Hydrangea...''

This was going well so far, only a little more to go!

''Bayoen, Bayoen... BAYOEEEENNNN! I got this!''

''Hydrangea, Hydrangea...Hydrangea...Hydrangea.''

He was still casting them?! How many was that? 9? 10... No, it was an 11-chain! There was no recovery from that in her current playfield!

A huge amount of nuisance dropped on her, knocking her out completely.

It was over, wasn't it? She wasn't going to wake up from that and even if she did, 'Sig' was waiting for her.

However, when Amitie woke up, Sig was kneeling down next to her, seemingly more calm than earlier. He wasn't trying to fight her anymore and it was most likely he had brought her out of that huge amount of nuisance he had dropped on her earlier.

''Sorry, Amitie. I couldn't control it.''

''Sig? I-Is that really you?''

Her body was aching all over, but she was still able to find the strength to sit up. With somewhat of a pounce, Amitie hugged Sig, smiling and overjoyed to hear his gentle voice once more. He would've smiled at her enthusiasm, but he couldn't. Instead, he pushed her away gently, shaking his head.

''I...don't know anymore. My arm is going red and it's hard to think.''

''That hidden power of yours, it's trying to overwhelm you again, isn't it?''

''Yeah.''

''W-Well, I won't let it, I refuse! For real, I don't wanna lose you, Sig!''

''I don't want to lose myself either.''

It hurt to hear him say that, as much as it probably hurt him to say it too. The two sat in silence, glancing at each other every moment or so. The darkness still surrounded them and Amitie still had no idea how to get them out of here. Yet...

''Sig, let's get through this together! Let's leave this place and find a solution...''

''...''

''Please? I-I admit I have no clue how but--''

''It's not that.''

''What is it, then?''

''If I hurt someone again...''

''That won't happen!''

''I hurt you.''

''If you stay here, it'll only get worse! Please, Sig. We need to find a way to help your situation! There has to be a way!''

''...''

Amitie looked at him with big eyes, placing her hands on his shoulders. This time, he didn't try to push her away from the contact, instead letting out a light sigh. Of course, he wanted things to get better, he wanted to be himself again. So that he didn't have to worry others, so that he could chase bugs and... exist without the fear of one day ceasing to be here. While Sig still had a grasp on his being, maybe it was a good opportunity to try?

''I guess.''

''Oh, huh. You wouldn't happen to know how to get us out of this darkness?''

With the flick of an arm, the darkness completely dissipated around them, revealing that they were really only a floor below.

''Wicked! Come on, there's no time to lose!''

Grabbing Sig's right arm, Amitie was practically dragging the boy in her run towards one of the exits.

A hopeful smile on her face, she really believed in the deepest parts of her heart, that things would turn out okay.

 


End file.
